Phuket is a strange place for an Olympic dream. In southern Thailand, the island is best known as a magnet for Westerners and Russians in search of warm sand and turquoise waters. Not exactly an Eldorado for ambitious athletes. Yet it was here, in the banal premises of Rajabhat University, surrounded by countless hotels, that some of the world's weightlifting elite gathered in early spring. For the 450 or so athletes present, this was their last chance to qualify for the Paris Olympics.

Mohammed Hamada, who had just turned 22, realized the importance of the occasion. On April 7, the thick-necked, strong-shouldered young man competed in the under-96 kilos category. Crouching down, back straight and buttocks back, he placed his talcum-coated hands on the bar. After a few seconds of concentration, he vigorously propelled 100 kilos over his head, arms outstretched, as required by the snatch movement.

In the clean and jerk, where the bar is lifted to the shoulders, then raised before being thrown overhead, he lifted 120 kilos. He was a long distance from the favorites, who peaked at over 150 kilos in the snatch and over 200 kilos in the clean and jerk. Among the nine competitors in his category, Hamada finished last. Cautious, he preferred to lift "light," well below his records – 168 kilos in the snatch, more than 300 in the clean and jerk. There was no point in exhausting himself, as his chances of qualifying against the best were virtually nil.

Far from Gaza

For Hamada, the achievement was first and foremost to be there, in Phuket. Before his events, he raised his index finger to the sky. Then, after each lift, he proudly pointed to the small Palestinian flag printed on his red and black suit. A reminder that, a few weeks before Thailand, he wasn't training like his rivals. He was simply trying to survive in the chaos of Gaza.

Beyond the results, the Phuket competition had a "special flavor" for him. The day after his performance, he expressed the emotion he felt: "I was representing my family, my people, and the whole of Palestine." He was sitting comfortably, in flip-flops, black shorts and a polo shirt, in the lobby of the luxurious Ramada Hotel, a five-star establishment in the Peranakan architectural style, blending Eastern and European influences, where some of the athletes were staying. But, in a husky voice that contrasted with his youthful features, he told a very different story, one of horror and desolation. Next to him, his trainer and older brother Hossam, 39, listened as he recounted "six months of siege, destruction and hunger."

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